Throughout his career he was famously outspoken about the neglect of care workers, austerity and the Tory party: he made headlines when he said he wanted to see David Cameron and George Osborne’s “heads on spikes on Tower Bridge” over austerity cuts, and revealed that he quit his talkshow because celebrities were so dull they were like “relatives you felt obliged to visit”. The couple were wed in 1977, O’Grady later saying that he married her to prevent her from being deported. This week, Portasio invited local fans of the late star to mourn his death at the funeral procession, which will take place in the village of Aldington, Kent. It was his second marriage, with the pair getting together after O’Grady ended his 28-year marriage to the woman he married in 1977.

When described as a national treasure in an interview with the Observer in 2017, he responded: “Oh, what a terrible phrase. I had no idea we were still married until my manager Brendan said: ‘If anything happened to you, everything would go to your wife”,’ he explained. His dogs also became TV stars, with another rescue, Buster, appearing alongside him on several programmes including chat show The Paul O’Grady Show. Paul O’Grady, the beloved TV presenter and comedian who broke on to the scene with his drag act persona Lily Savage, has died at the age of 67. After his death, friend Christopher Biggins said that the “gorgeous” ballet dancer had a huge impact on “rogue” Paul.O’Grady, who sprang to fame as his beloved drag alter ego Lily Savage, went on to present The Big Breakfast before fronting The Paul O’Grady Show, Blind Date, Blankety Blank, and ITV’s multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs.

He has worked with many other dance companies including Sadlers Wells Theatre and the Royal Ballet School since retiring, as well as being the CEO, producer and director of Artstreaming TV, a digital production company focused on the cultural sector. Tributes poured in for O’Grady in the days following his death, including from Queen Camilla, who worked closely with him in their support of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. He later adopted Boycie, a shih-tzy in 2014; Conchita, a Maltese in 2015; Arfur, a mongrel puppy in 2017; Nancy, another mongrel puppy in 2020; and Sausage, a wire-haired dachshund in 2021. We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss,” Portasio said in a statement. The LGBTQ+ rights campaigner Peter Tatchell remembered O’Grady as “one of the loveliest people you could ever meet.He thanked the community in local Facebook groups and said their “kind messages, beautiful flowers and thoughtful texts of condolences have brought me comfort and solace during this difficult time”.